Not even an intense blizzard could stop ROH from putting on a worth-while show in Long Island, NY. Despite more than a handful of wrestlers unable to make it to the show, Ring of Honor delivered a night full of creativity and unpredictability. Refunds were offered to anybody after the third match, but the unadvertised appearance of C.M. Punk caused the audience to erupt with “F&%# the refund” chant – apparently feeling they would get their money’s worth anyway – and they certainly did. They had to throw out the script and book matches on the fly, a concept that was successfully tested back in September of '02 when ROH presented their first Unscripted card. Sure, the roster was depleted, but I hardly noticed, as the action in the ring was up to par with anything else ROH has done in the last 4 years. Albeit unscripted.

Adam Pearce quickly disposed of two ROH students in the opening match ( 3 / 10 ), but clearly Pearce had something else in store for fans as he got a chair and sat down at ringside. Julius Smokes came out with Grim Reefer challenging Colt Cabana to a match, but instead Smokes ended up face-to-face with ROH Legend C.M. Punk. Adam Pearce, looking to make some kind of impact, jumped in the ring and attacked C.M. Punk – thus planting the seed for tonight’s main event. Colt Cabana saved his old friend and then Punk said he was there to confront Cabana about his “transformation” and obsession with Homicide. Cabana informed Punk that he did not need his help. Cabana then went to war with the Grim Reefer and finished him off with a stiff Lariat ( 6.5 / 10 ) .

Ricky Reyes destroyed Kid Mikaze in the next match. I have no idea why Reyes is on the regular roster, I mean he’s good, but what’s the point of a bully in ROH? I like Kid Mikaze; if he continues to improve the way he has been, he will def initely be going places. Austin Aries failed at his attempt to become the first ROH triple crown winner when he took on Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness. This was a brilliant match with lots of drama, capped off by McGuinness barely escaping with his title ( 7.5 / 10 ).

American Dragon was scheduled to put his ROH World title up against The Embassy’s Alex Shelley, but due to transportation problems stemming from the blizzard, the challenger was absent from the building. Prince Nana had a trick up his sleeve, as he brought back former Embassy member and 2nd-ever ROH Champion, Xavier. Dragon had his work cut out for him with this def ense, but was let off the hook when Jimmy Rave interfered for the disqualification ( 7 / 10 ). C.M. Punk made his second appearance of the night to save American Dragon and then they set up a main event tag match involving Punk & Dragon vs Rave & Pearce.

Jimmy Yang continued his rise up the ROH ladder as he def Azriael, Jerrelle Clark, and Jason Blade in an extended version of a 4-Corner Survival. They had to fill some time so the match went longer than it normally would, and I admit none of these guys should be going that long. All four men worked their tails off and made it a decent match so you have to give them points for that ( 6 / 10 ). Roderick Strong put up his coveted #1 Contendership against former Lacey’s Angel B.J. Whitmer. This match also set out to eat up some time but Whitmer & Strong kept up a good pace the entire match, making it (in my opinion), the match of the night ( 8.5 / 10 ).

The main event was very fun and extremely entertaining. Seeing C.M. Punk in an ROH ring again is like Christmas to a long-time fan of Ring of Honor like me. They did not set out to kill themselves in this match, but instead opted to just go out there and have fun and beat each other up a little bit. It translated into a really marvelous contest ( 8 / 10 ). American Dragon, who is notorious for purposely avoiding maneuvers that the fans enjoy, executed an astonishing springboard dive into the 3rd row taking out Jimmy Rave. Also on this DVD, C.M. Punk's post match speech is out of this world and will have you laughing your arse off.

Final Thoughts: Even though C.M. Punk got into a little heat with WWE, his surprise appearance on this night clearly made this night extra special. Punk did okay for himself, having captured the OVW Television, Heavyweight & Tag Team titles and debuted in ECW within a 10 month span. I shudder to think how horrible a WWE show would be if 6 of their top guys couldn’t make it to a show. It should also be noted that despite the blizzard, the building was packed with fans, which is a testiment to how passionate fans are for ROH. If you would like to purchase this or any other ROH DVD, please check out ROHwrestling.com - Thank you!